Undying Love
by Bunch-o-Nuts
Summary: One day, Mia brings home a dog the Ronins are sure no one else would ever want. It’s small, hyper and barks at all odd hours of the night. As the four-week trial period wears on, will the dog worm its way into their hearts…or will it be returned to th


Undying Love

Mia smiled inwardly as she felt the warm bundle squirm against the inside of her coat on this early February morning as she exited the pound. A wet nose poked out from the top of her coat to sniff at the outside air only to bury itself a moment later. Mia couldn't help but laugh at the puppy's antics. She also just couldn't wait to show the five teenagers currently residing in her house the playful little thing.

She had signed it out on a four-week trial period, just in case the mutt wouldn't work out with the boys. She also sighed at that thought, knowing the five didn't even know that she had planned on getting a puppy…no, they probably didn't even know that she had left for the day.

Ever since the wars with Tulpa had ended, all five of them had slowly sunk into moodiness and depression. She knew from chat rooms, websites and doctors that the teens were probably suffering from Traumatic Stress Syndrome, something most soldiers felt after a battle or war. She also knew that the younger a person was when they experienced traumatic events, the more emotional and mental scaring would occur.

She had tried a lot of things to get them out of this mood…vacations, special treats, treatments…but nothing seemed to work.

In one of her desperate moments, a young mother had emailed Mia and explained a recent situation with her son. The mother had explained that after her husband had killed himself, her son suffered from depression and chronic nightmares. She had bought a pet to keep him company and offer comfort…a puppy, to be precise. Her son seemed to be doing much better today.

That had settled it for Mia. She had immediately gone out to several breeders, but no one dog really seemed to strike her as one all five of the youths could come to love. She had broadened her search to include shelters and pounds…and that was where she had found this little puppy.

The puppy was around four months old and completely black except for her ears, her muzzle, her tail and one paw. Its fur was curly, making the small dog look to be about twice its size. Apparently a breeder had given it up since it was the runt of the litter shortly after it had been weaned. Mia, though, thought the pup would be perfect for the needed situation and had picked it up for trial two days after spying it out.

Mia, who had already briskly walked back to her mansion, opened the door and let the warm air touch her face; it was stinging from the intense cold she had walked home in. Slowly, she shut the door and unzipped her coat, holding the pooch under one arm as she hung up the heavy thing.

Smiling, she set the puppy on the hardwood floor, letting it explore. However, the pup had barely traveled five feet from her when it squatted…and emptied its bladder over the floor.

"NO!" Mia screamed, startling the pooch so much that it jumped. "You are supposed to do that OUTSIDE!"

Mia stomped her foot in frustration as the puppy wandered back up to her and looked meekly up at her. Slowly, it wagged its tail, its eyes begging for forgiveness.

"Oh, all right." Mia whispered softly, bending down and scratching the dog behind the ears. The puppy gave a doggy smile and trotted off as Mia picked up some newspaper to soak up the mess.

As she threw away the soggy papers, she suddenly heard stomping coming from the stairs and looked up to see…two VERY angry boys, Kento and Cye. The one in front, an auburn-haired boy, held the black and white puppy in one hand, far away from his chest even though the puppy wriggled to get closer to him and closer to safety.

"WHAT is THIS?!" Cye shouted, shaking the puppy slightly in his outstretched hand. Mia hurried forward and grabbed the puppy from Cye, holding it close to her own chest as it whimpered softly. She heard a noise downstairs and knew that Rowen and Sage were watching from the living room. She didn't have a clue where Ryo was, but he was no doubt watching the unfolding scene as well.

"Cye, be gentle…she's just a baby." Mia cooed, watching the young teen carefully. She remembered earlier days, when he had first moved in, that he would have been the first to love the puppy. However, over a year with little sleep, constant nightmares and an overwhelming sense of depression had changed him, had changed all of them…but this was the first time Mia was seeing the whole effect of it.

"Well, that 'baby' just tore up our entire room!" Cye complained, his voice softer than before but not by much. Mia didn't answer to that accusation, so Cye heaved a large sigh. "What's the puppy for?"

"She's here for all of you. I heard that a dog can sometimes help calm nightmares better than a per…" Mia started, but Kento interrupted her, stepping up to the arguing plate.

"What happens at night to us is NONE of your business, Mia. We battled Tulpa alone so we don't need any help to take care of our nightmares from that time either."

Mia cringed back, fearing the hatred she heard in those words as Cye and Kento walked back to their room. Shortly, Rowen and Sage passed her as well, refusing to look at her face as they headed for the room they shared. She felt terrible that she had brought up such a sensitive time for the boys and she hugged the wriggling mass of fur in her arms to calm that feeling. The puppy sat silently in her arms, drinking in the sorrow and turning it to love.

"I had to say something about their nightmares…when they scream in their sleep, I always come running to help…" Mia turned and headed back to the living room, still feeling miserable. The puppy must have sensed it and reached up to lick her chin softly, causing a grin to split Mia's face. "At least someone loves me right now."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

An hour later, Mia heard the door open and shut. So did the slumbering puppy sitting beside her on the living room couch. The pup's ears perked up and she slowly raised her nose, sniffing the air. A second later, the pup bounced off, barking and running for whatever it was that she had smelled.

Mia stood up, deciding she better find out what had the puppy all excited when she heard a yelp and Ryo yell something at his pet tiger, White Blaze.

Swearing in her mind, Mia hurried forward into the kitchen. The back door was still open, but she could see a young teen with pitch-black hair bending down on the other side of the table. Hurrying over, she gasped at the sight before her.

White Blaze had his gigantic mouth around the neck of the small puppy. She could now hear that Ryo was trying to coax his tiger to let go of the prey it had caught. The puppy was limp in White Blaze's grasp, but whimpered up at the tiger. Finally, the tiger released the puppy and immediately, the dog rolled over, showing her belly to higher authority.

White Blaze growled softly, then nuzzled the dog for a second before trotting out of the kitchen, his work done. Before Mia could do anything, Ryo had scooped the dog up and checked it over for injuries.

"Here Mia." Ryo said, offering the dog back to her. Mia took the dog in her arms as Ryo added that the dog was fine.

Indeed, the puppy was fine, for she was already wriggling against the restraint Mia had on her. Mia set her down and watched her scamper off before turning to Ryo.

"Thanks." She said softly and Ryo smiled for her…but it never reached his incredibly blue eyes.

"No problem." Ryo replied as he walked out of the living room. From the sound of things, he was headed upstairs to the bedroom he shared with Kento and Cye. Mia sighed, wondering how long Ryo would be happy that he had saved the puppy…before he saw the damage it had wrought in his room.

Sighing, Mia headed back out to the living room…and held back a laugh at what greeted her.

White Blaze had laid out on his favorite rug in the living room and the puppy had joined him, collapsing in sheer exhaustion next to his side. For the moment, the tiger was obviously shocked, but when the puppy moved closer to his side, he purred slightly and nuzzled her neck again. Slowly, the two drifted off to a content slumber together. Mia, thrilled, left the room to go make dinner for the five boys, herself and two pets.

"Well, that makes two of seven that she's made love her." Mia sighed softly as she entered the kitchen but stole one last look over at White Blaze and the puppy. She knew that she had to come up with a name for it, but she wasn't about to do that unless all accepted the puppy…or until one of the Ronins themselves had named her.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

About two hours after everyone had retired to bed that night, the puppy perked her ears and listened. She could hear Mia breathing softly next to her, lost in a dream and she could hear the leaky faucet in the basement dripping. But the sound that had woken her wasn't a constant sound…there…there it was again.

It was a soft moan, filled with horror and fear. It scared the puppy, but at the same time she jumped down from the bed to investigate.

She nosed open the door and padded her way halfway down the hall before pausing and listening for the strange moan again. There, from this room…with the shut door. She considered the door for a minute before leaning her weight against it. Much to her surprise, it swung open easily and she decided the locked mechanism that the humans had tried to use in this room didn't work so well.

She trotted over to the first bed and peered up at the sleeping face near the edge of the bed. Her dog vision didn't allow her to see colors but she knew from dinner that this one was named Rowen. He had given her a small scrap under the table when she had been begging from everyone for the entire meal. She smiled fondly at the memory and would have been content to help him in his nightmares…but it wasn't Rowen who needed her.

The moan came again, this time from the opposite side of the room. Curious, she trotted over to see another young man, one she couldn't place a name too. But he was thrashing in his bed, his body covered in sweat and smelling of fear. She glanced back at the content Rowen for a moment before hopping up onto the other's bed. She curled up next to his side and offered what comfort she could give to the strange boy. When a hand relaxed next to her, she licked it tentatively, showing her undying love for him.

An eye cracked open and gazed at her for a moment, watching her as she licked his fingers and palm. Finally, when she was content that dreams no longer plagued him, she curled up closer to his side, closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep.

Hesitantly, Sage reached forward and scratched behind her ears, smiling sincerely for the first time in a long time when she leaned into the scratch.

"Thanks, little one." Sage whispered, moving closer to the puppy's warmth and good nature. He didn't have another nightmare for the rest of the night.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

A week later, the puppy still didn't have a name and she sighed heavily. Supposedly, she had been left alone to explore the huge mansion. Mia had dragged Ryo with her to go shopping, Sage had left for meditation, and Cye had left for a drive in the country. Rowen was at the library reading and Kento had gone over to a friend's house.

She flopped down on a couch and considered the last couple of days. She had decisively won over White Blaze and Mia. She was also worming her way into the heart of Sage and Rowen, two boys that she often went in to check on during the night in a sort of motherly fashion.

Mia was happy about this, especially now that Rowen and Sage seemed more rested then they had ever been in the last three months…she seemed to express serious relief at this since Rowen and Sage had both stopped taking something she called, "sleeping pills".

The puppy was yanked from her thoughts as she heard a sound from upstairs. It sounded like crying, but it was so muffled that she might have been wrong. She sniffed the air, wondering if her ears had deceived her. However, her nose told her differently. Cye was in the house.

Jumping down from the couch, she headed to the foot of the stairs, and then perked her ears again in an attempt to find out where Cye might truly be hiding. After thinking she had found him, she slowly ascended the stairs. She padded down the hallway, and then turned right close to the end to see the closed door of the bathroom. It was open a crack and she stuck her nose in, taking a large whiff.

She recoiled quickly, having smelled the bittersweet smell of blood. She paused to think just as something heavy hit an opposing wall. She continued to listen and heard the heavy object slowly slide down the wall. Barking, she forced the door open and ran inside. Sure enough, Cye was the one to look up at her, his eyes foggy and unfocused.

Looking around, she could see a dark gray liquid slowly dripping down his wrists and pooling on the floor. She knew it was blood, the wolf that lived inside every dog forcing her to lick her lips slightly.

He doesn't like you…and he obviously doesn't like this life. It wouldn't be so bad to drink his life-blood. The wolf whispered, but the puppy forced the urge down as she approached a half-conscious Cye.

You're wrong. He may not have been nice to me on the first day, but he hasn't purposely tried to hurt me since then. He really is a nice boy.

The wolf growled in her, but she suppressed the urge. 

She finally crept the last few inches to Cye's side and whimpered up at him. Slowly, he turned his eyes to look down at her and she jumped up onto his shoulder, licking his cheek hesitantly.

_Please don't give up. I'll love you forever if you live…even if you don't love me._ She whimpered to him, cursing the fact that she couldn't talk in the language this two-legged human would understand.

Cye reached out with his left hand, one he hadn't gashed open with the razor that lay near his feet. Softly, he scratched her ears before leaning back against the wall. "Thanks for loving me…" he whispered softly, tears making a silent trek down his face. He swallowed heavily and forced his eyes to close.

The puppy didn't know much about suicide, but something told her she couldn't allow Cye to fall asleep. She yipped loudly, startling the boy to open his eyes again. He looked worse off this time, his eyes begging for nothing more than surrender. She just couldn't allow that and yipped louder, right into his ear.

She must have barked for over twenty minutes, the last five minutes falling upon deaf ears as Cye closed his eyes to the world. He was still breathing, she could see his chest rising and falling softly…ever more softly as the time passed.

Finally, as she grew really desperate, she heard the front door open and shut…then the familiar smell of Rowen and Sage. She dashed to the door of the bathroom and yipped at them, begging for them to hurry up the stairs to her. They never came and she ran downstairs to find out what was wrong.

The two boys had gone into the living room to warm up and watch a little TV. They had obviously dismissed her as barking at a squirrel or bird hanging around outside a window.

Without waiting, she ran forward and grabbed at Sage's pant leg, pulling it fiercely between her teeth. She stopped for a minute, barked at them, and then started yanking on Rowen's pant leg.

_Please, please, PLEASE!! _She complained in her mind, barking again. The two boys looked at her, utterly confused. She ran in circles and ran to the edge of the stairs, barking again. Then she ran back to Sage and yanked on his pant leg again.

Slowly, the two boys came to a silent agreement and stood up to see what had agitated the pup so much. Now that they were standing, she quickly ran to the stairs and galloped up them, still barking every now and then.

When they crested the top and saw a pale light coming from the bathroom, they charged ahead of her, throwing open the door and running in.

The pup followed the two in, sitting near the door as she watched the two boys scramble around.

Sage knelt next to Cye, shaking his shoulder in an attempt to wake him up. When Cye wouldn't open his eyes, he leaned forward, placing two fingers against his neck and putting an ear next to Cye's mouth. Rowen was at the sink, wetting down a towel then bending down to wrap it against Cye's cut wrist.

Sage suddenly extended two palms to Cye's face and a glow emitted from them. The puppy cocked her head in confusion to this strange action, but gave a doggy smile when Cye stirred softly. Rowen leaned forward and picked Cye up, cradling the boy to his chest as someone else came in the front door…Mia and Ryo were home now.

Together, the four worked together to quickly take Cye to the hospital. Although Sage had been able to stop any more blood from pouring forth from the wounds, Cye was still worse for wear. Ryo, Kento, Sage and Rowen came home with Mia later that night, discussing softly the fact that Cye would be staying in the hospital for a few more days.

They also commented, while smiling at her, that the first thing Cye had asked about when he had woken up was her, the puppy. He had asked what had happened, been shamed about his actions around his friends, then also wanted to see the puppy…he had given her a name: Seirei…the Japanese name for Spirit.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Four days later found Cye home again, but he didn't seem to be suffering from more depression or self-consciousness at the fact that his life had been almost destroyed at his hands and saved at his friends' hands.

The first thing he did when he got home was call Seirei to him. The puppy had padded up and he had held her to his chest, the bandage around his wrist scratching at her. She didn't care and softly licked at his face, beating her tail against his thigh. She didn't think anyone in the entire household could be happier than her that Cye would be all right.

That made everyone but Ryo and Kento accept Seirei as part of the family. The puppy was content though with the love she did receive from those who had allowed her into their hearts and visited that night each bed…first Mia, then Sage, Rowen, Cye, and ending up spending the last couple hours of sleep next to White Blaze on his favorite rug.

The next morning found Seirei exploring the upper level while most of the others were eating breakfast. Normally, she would be downstairs with them, seeking out scraps, scratches and love. However, this time she felt her place was needed upstairs with someone else…

The boy named Ryo had not been sleeping well for nights since Cye had tried to take his life. Although she knew it wasn't from something as easy to solve as nightmares like Sage and Rowen, she figured she could offer her own comfort to the boy where White Blaze could not. A time like this called for a small body to cuddle with rather than a large body to hide behind.

Quietly, Seirei nudged open the door to Ryo, Kento and Cye's bedroom. She didn't have to look hard before finding the boy sitting on the windowsill; the window was open to the cool morning breeze. She crept forward, her nails silenced by the carpeted floor. Clumsily, she jumped up onto the high, cushioned seat that Ryo had perched on.

She whimpered, allowing Ryo to acknowledge her presence before she proceeded to crawl into his lap. His hands lay motionless at his side, but the direction of breath turned to her neck and she knew he was wondering what she could be doing to want to sit in his lap.

Seirei turned around three times, and then plunked herself down, heaving a sigh for the entire world as if she was utterly exhausted. Slowly, Ryo scratched her ears and she licked his other hand, nosing it occasionally. She offered comfort and when White Blaze joined them in the room, a prevailing sense of protection came with it. Slowly, the scratches to her ears ceased and Ryo drifted off to sleep.

White Blaze turned to Seirei after Ryo had been silent for twenty minutes. He looked his human companion up and down, pleased to see that he had finally surrendered to the sleep he needed. He nosed the small dog in Ryo's lap and she turned to him, a doggy smile eagerly showing forth.

_Thank you for helping him, little spirit._ White Blaze said softly as he purred, rubbing his large head against Ryo's unyielding form. Seirei merely smiled and buried herself in Ryo's lap, content to stay until he awoke.

Kento found the three an hour later when he came up from breakfast. Ryo had unconsciously started to slide out the window and White Blaze had grabbed him by the shirt, pulling him back in and to the floor. Once there, White Blaze had settled like a blanket over Ryo's lap and Seirei had moved to the feet. They eventually adjusted so that when Kento found them, Ryo was stretched out on the floor with White Blaze behind him, his head perched on Ryo's shoulder. Seirei had sought refuge under one of Ryo's arms and had thus remained for well over thirty minutes.

Kento smiled, but knew it would be better for Ryo to be sleeping in his own bed.

"Good dog." Kento said, giving Seirei a scratch behind the ears before he picked up his leader and best friend. He only got a little complaint, but that came from the animal half of the group.

They watched as he placed Ryo on his own bed and waited until Kento himself left before Seirei jumped onto the bed and curled up again next to Ryo's side. White Blaze stretched out by the bed and stayed there for the rest of the day and night. Ryo slept through it all, feeling only safety and comfort for the first time in a long time as his body replenished the energy he needed.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The last two weeks and three days of Seirei's temporary stay passed quickly and before long, Seirei found herself going for what Mia claimed was just a walk. When they returned, however, Seirei was a part of their family with legal papers. However, it was clear that night as she made her rounds to visit all of the occupants of the house, that she had long since wormed her way into each of their hearts.

In truth, nobody needs papers to prove their love and commitment for another being.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

So what do you think? I like to think it wasn't that bad of a story…especially since I worked it all out in one sitting! Whoo-hoo!

This piece was actually written for my dog…although I know she can't appreciate it in ways I could understand, I hope its something that she likes in her special way.


End file.
